Nitroglycerin explosives



Patented Jan. 7, 1947 TES I FFECE I TENT NITROGLYQERIN EXPLGSIVES No Drawing. Application April 23, 1942, Serial No. 440,188

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in nitroglycerin explosives.

' under certain variations of temperature and other conditions, the nitroglycerin is partially released from said absorbent material, whereupon the explosive becomes both dangerous and inconvenient to handle. Collodion cotton has also been employed to transform the liquid nitroglycerin into a gelatinized mass for the purpose of retaining the liquid nitroglycerin by gelatinization, but in this case also the liquid nitroglycerin, under certain variations of temperature and other conditions, is partially released from the gelatinized mass and the explosive becomes dangerous and diificult to handle.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a novel protein-embodying substance that is relatively inexpensive and which when employed in pure form will transform liquid nitroglycerin into jelly that will retain the liquid nitroglycerin more efficiently and will product a more stable explosive having a more retentive quality than the retaining or absorbing materials used in. either of the two types of nitroglycerin explosives hereinabove referred to and-will retain the liquid nitroglycerin Without any release by transpiration thereof under severe condition of temperature and variations thereof.

Another object of my invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive meal embodying my novel protein that will function partly to gelatinize and partly to absorb liquid nitroglycerin so that the liquid nitroglycerin may be completely gelatinized and absorbed to produce a stable explosive that will retain, without release or separation, the liquid nitroglycerin more efiiciently and under more severe conditions of temperature and variations thereof than is possible with either kieselguhr or fullers earth or collodion cotton.

Another object of this invention is to utilize as a retaining and/or absorbent material for nitroglycerin in explosive compounds, a proteincontaining substance and particularly either a protein complex which has been extractedand purified from the meal in conventional manner or a. substantially de-oiled and substantially undenaturate meal of one or more of the oil-bearing seeds, germs or nuts containing a. relatively high percentage of protein.

Another object of my invention is to utilize my 2 relatively inexpensive, novel product or products in the type of explosive known a explosive gelatin by the introduction of my .said pro-duct or products as part of said explosive gelatin or as a substitute therein 1? or a part of the more expensive collodioncotton content thereof.

Another object of my invention is to utilize in an explosive mixture such as guhr dynamite, a part of my said retaining and/or absorbent material and to substitute this material in whole or in part for the kieselguhr or fullers earth or other absorbent materials and thus to enable the preparation of a series of dynamite explosives such as now are in common use by the mere substitution, as aforesaid, of the necessary part of my retaining and/or absorbent material and consequently to produce a new explosive or explosives that will have greater.nitroglycerindetainin qualities and stability under severe conditions of temperature and variations thereof than it has heretofore been possible to obtain by the use of prior art retaining and/ or absorbing substances.

Another object of my invention is to enable the introduction of my absorbent or nitroglycerin retaining material or materials in explosive-gelatin types of dynamite and in these explosives to produce gelatin dynamites by adding or substituting a part of myproduct or products to or for the substances already therein.

My invention is based upon the discovery that either a pure protein complex material or a, meal containing a high percentage of proteins or protein complex, when added to nitroglycerin either in its liquid form or partly jellified form, will retain and/or absorb the nitroglycerin under much more severe conditions and variations of temperature, than is possible with other known nitroglycerin absorbent or gelatinizing substances.

In carrying out my invention, when a, dried and pulverized vegetable protein or casein is added to nitroglycerin by warming .and stirring into a homogeneous mass, a kind of jellification occurs ;and a solid .or semi-solid .massis obtained, the

consistency of which depends upon the quantity of the protein or casein added to the nitroglycerin. If enough of the solid protein substance is added, a relatively solid mass results and in this condition, the nitroglycerin is kept occluded or inside the solid body and is not released when the solid body is subjected to low or freezing temperatures and/or to successive low and thawing temperatures. The same effect is obtained by using soya bean or other protein-rich meals instead of pure protein and the solidification is better if the soya bean or other similar meals are previously dried to a moisture content below about three per cent (3%). It is known that in the present dynamite explosives the nitroglycerin incorporated therewith has a tendency to be released and collects in droplets outside of the stick of dynamite thus making its handling under such conditions very dangerous. In makin explosive mixtures of the dynamite type, the incorporation or mixture of soya bean and similar meals with nitroglycerin may be used with other ingredients to produce a dynamite from which the nitroglycerin will not exude or be released at low temperatures. Different consistencies of the dynamite may be obtained by varying the proportion of the soya or like meal incorporated in the nitroglycerin. A medium consistency may be obtained by incorporating one part by weight of nitroglycerin with twoparts by weight of the soya or like meal and a very solid mass may be obtained by incorporating one part by Weight of nitroglycerin and four parts by weight of the said meal.

I have tested my improved explosive products embodying my protein-containing ingredient and nitroglycerin by subjecting the same to temperature from 28 F. to 36 F. and then bringing the samples suddenly to a temperature from 70 F. to 100 F. and repeating this treatment Without noticing any traces of releasing or transpiration of nitroglycerin on the surfaces of the samples. I repeated this process of placing the product for 24 hours in the refrigerator and removing the same therefrom and placing it to thaw in a proper temperature and repeating the procedure twenty times on twenty successive days.

I found that there was no noticeable change in the structural characteristics andno release or transpiration of nitroglycerin from the mass. The samples were shaped in a form of sheets, layers or plates of 4; thickness and three (3) to (4) inches in width in order to subject the greatest possible surface of the explosive to the freezing action and to the action of heat. On each Withdrawal of the material, I carefully examined the surface of the sample for the purpose of noting any separation or transpiration of nitroglycerin therefrom but found by examination with naked eye and the use of a magnifying glass no such condition, there being no droplets of any kind either small or large on such surfaces.

Examples of explosives formed in accordance with my invention are as follows:

Guhr dynamite Gelatin dynamite Parts Nitroglycerin 62 Collodion cott n 2 NaNOs 25 Soya bean meal 11 a meal that has not been cooked or subjected to heat at such a high degree of temperature as to change the natural character of the meal and particular in which the enzymes have not been destroyed by heat or other procedure.

By protein-rich product and protein-rich meal I mean a product or meal containing protein in a high proportionate quantity, such as is present in soya-bean meal.

While I have hereinabove referred to a material in which the enzymes have not been destroyed, I have used the destruction of enzymes as a heat-regulating degree beyond which the material should not be heated in order to avoid any possible coagulation of the product or its cellular tissue.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An explosive composed of nitroglycerin and a fixing product containing protein in a percentage substantially equal to soya bean meal, and comprising a highly absorbent material composed of an oil-bearing seed that is de-oiled to a substantially complete degree and is also in a substantially undenaturate condition.

2. An explosive composed of nitroglycerin and a, fixing product comprising soya bean meal that has been de-oiled to a substantially complete degree and is also in a substantially undenaturate condition.

3. An explosive composed of nitroglycerin and a fixing product comprising de-oiled and undenaturate soya bean meal dried to a moisture content below three (3%) per cent.

4. An explosive composed of nitroglycerin and a fixing product comprising pure protein-complex, consisting of Van oil-bearing seed that has been extracted to de-oil the material to a substantially complete degree and has been purified from a protein-containing meal that is in substan tially undenaturate condition.

MICHELE BONOTTO. 

